Trial Summary

Study question and significance: Acupuncture is a safe, effective treatment for chronic low back pain in adults, and the American College of Physicians recommends the treatment as first-line therapy. However, few studies, and no large-scale randomized trials, have examined the safety and efficacy of acupuncture in older adults specifically.

Design and setting: Cluster randomized trial comparing standard and enhanced courses of acupuncture with usual care alone in adults aged 65 years and older with chronic low back pain. The study included 800 patients in 4 healthcare systems in the United States from August 2021 to October 2022. 

Intervention and methods: Participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups: (1) a standard 12-week course of acupuncture plus usual medical care; (2) standard acupuncture enhanced with 4 to 6 maintenance sessions plus usual care; or (3) usual care alone.

Findings: At 6 months and 12 months after treatment, patients in both the standard and enhanced acupuncture groups experienced significantly greater reductions in pain and pain-related disability than patients in the usual care group. The improvements did not differ significantly between the standard and enhanced courses of acupuncture.

Conclusions and relevance: Older patients with chronic low back pain who receive acupuncture treatment have greater improvements in pain and disability compared with patients who receive usual care alone. Acupuncture is a safe, effective treatment option for older adults with chronic low back pain. 

NIH Project Information